


Worth Fighting For

by A_random_fandom



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, F/F, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Some Fluff, SuperCorp, Team as Family, Tomb Raider AU, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:53:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14059365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_random_fandom/pseuds/A_random_fandom
Summary: A Tomb Raider (2013) AU.When Kara Danvers convinces the Crew of the S.S. Endurance to travel into the Devil's Triangle to find the lost island of Yamatai. She ends up fighting for the chance to tell her best friend she loves her, fighting to be even slightly as badass as her sister, and to keep Winn from succumbing to his own misguided heroic tendencies.Also featuring: Mon-El as the egotistical documentary maker. J'onn J'onzz as the ever elusive expedition captain, and Sam Arias as the documentary producer who somehow has Alex Danvers in a tizz.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I saw the recent Tomb Raider film, and my one thought was "Holy shit I'm so gay." And I need a Supercorp AU of the original 2013 game. Because of reasons. 
> 
> First time trying anything like this. So please let me know what you think. 
> 
> I know my tenses aren't quite right - so apologies. 
> 
> This will loosely follow the plot of the game, with additional scenes, and a helluva lot more gay. 
> 
> Look me up on Tumblr: a-random-fandom :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Kara threw herself onto her bunk, the thin wooden frame groaning loudly under the sudden weight. She lay still, holding her breath, one eye open, cringing at the thought of having broken yet another item on board the vessel. 

Once she was satisfied the bunk wasn’t going to collapse in on itself, she carefully rolled over and shuffled herself up to the top of the bed, resting her back against the postcard covered wall. 

Pulling her legs up to her chest, Kara took her phone from her pocket, briefly checking the time before fishing around for her headphones. 

“For the love of Rao.” Kara rolled her eyes as she attempted to untangle the mass of wires. Her foot jiggling underneath her, anxiety making her eager to get away from the noisy din of the ship and the storm rumbling above them. 

Finally satisfied she’d gotten the last knot out, she connected them to her phone and brought up a playlist Lena had made her for the trip. Kara smiled as the soft tones began to ease the tension in her shoulders.

She’d placed a lot of trust in her gut when she’d stood up to Mon El, persuading the rest of the crew to enter the Devil’s Triangle in search of the lost island of Yamatai. 

As part of the research crew for Season 3 of Mon El’s archaeology documentary, she was a mere cog in his great media spinning machine. 

It was Lena – well actually Lena’s boney elbow to her ribs – that had Kara finally telling Mon-El that they needed to venture into the Devil’s Triangle if they ever wanted to save his reputation. Mon El had recoiled and told her that she shouldn’t question his superior knowledge if she wanted to keep her job on their return to the mainland. 

Alex had quickly stepped up to support her sister, having listened to Kara’s rambling rants over the charts in the map room for the entirety of their 22 days on board the S.S. Endurance. And frankly, she couldn’t listen to Mon El talking about how incredible his instincts were and how wrong all of Kara’s approximations were, without following through on her threats to throw him overboard. 

Only Sam’s firm grip on her elbow had prevented a full-blown altercation. 

Lena had stood beside Kara, one hand holding her camera, the other holding onto one of Kara’s belt loops, as close to a supporting influence she could be. Jaw clenched in determination not to remind Mon El that it was the Luthor fortune that had funded this ailing ego-stroke of a production, lest Kara think she couldn’t fight her own battles.  
Mon El’s face had reddened as everyone in the room had supported the young archaeologist. J’onn, the Captain of the S.S. Endurance and leader of the expedition, had nodded with a small smile and informed Vasquez to set a course for the Triangle. And that had effectively ended the discussion. 

Mon El had shouldered past Kara on his way out of the room, leaving her off balance in more ways than one. Silence had fallen over the assembled crew. Almost everyone happy to see Mon-El finally taken down a rung or two. 

Lena had begun to follow J’onn and Vasquez onto the bridge. Kara loosely holding her hand as it left her belt loop, offering a strong squeeze and shy smile to her best friend. Lena grinned widely.

“Told you, he’d have to listen eventually. This is going to be incredible.” Lena said, almost bouncing out of the room. Kara had huffed a laugh, before excusing herself with a one shouldered hug for Alex. 

And that was how she found herself, on her bunk, in the small room she shared with Lena. Listening to a nostalgic mix of music from college and the odd adventures the two had shared. She was trying not to second guess her every decision.

Kara knew what she was talking about. She’d spent years studying maps, diagrams and crumbling texts in the hopes of finding Yamatai. Her mother and father had dreamed about discovering the unknown and Kara could think of no better way of remembering that. 

Even if all she would be a tiny name on the bottom of a long list of tiny names that Mon El graciously offered credit to on his journal articles and documentaries.

Kara pulled her journal from beneath her pillows, the book falling open to her most recent pages. An old polaroid of Kara, Lena, Alex and Winn grinning from the deck of the Endurance. It was a photo that always made her smile. 

Back when Kara and Lena had been fresh out of college, following J’onn and Vasquez on one of their many voyages around the world. Before Kara had joined the research crew. Years before Alex had been honourably discharged from the army, and Sam had enticed her away from private security to run Ops for this expedition she was producing. And several years before Kara had worked out why green was her favourite colour, why Irish was her favourite accent, and why her best friend could make a blush rise from her toes to the top of her head with the slightest raise of an eyebrow. 

Kara smoothed out the page, and popped the cap off the pen wedged into the spine of the book. She doodled slightly in the margin, an imagined island with a high peak and numerous valleys. A sun emerging from behind a snow capped mountain.

She couldn’t work out how to unjumble her thoughts. She’d convinced a whole crew, most of them she considered her family, to enter a place, very few sea-faring vessels returned from. 

With a groan, she rested her head against the wall behind her, anxiety churning in her gut. But what if she was right, what if the reason Yamatai had remained lost was because of such dangerous seas. What if she could lead this crew to the greatest archeological find since the pyramids? She could ensure Eliza was set up for life, so that J’onn could enjoy a quiet retirement. And she and Lena could travel the world, finding the unexplored together, with nothing to prove. To her family, or to the purpose that Kara’s parents had left to her. 

“Kar?” Alex poked her head around the door to the bunk, sighing when she saw Kara hunched over her journal, headphones in, boot tapping out a rhythm onto the blankets. Alex waved a hand in Kara’s peripheral vision. 

“Alex!” Kara jumped, her head hitting the cabin roof.

“Steady. You’ve already put a hole through the cupboards in the galley and broken the shower head, don’t give yourself a sun roof whilst you’re at it.”

“Firstly, balancing on a boat is tricky. And secondly, I fixed the shower.” Kara defended with a slight pout on her face. 

“You mean, Winn fixed the shower.” 

“I provided the boot laces, chewing gum and what I think was a screwdriver.” 

“I’ll tell him you’re claiming all the credit for yourself. Mon El would be so proud.” 

Alex laughed as Kara’s pout grew and the crinkle between her eyebrows became more pronounced. 

“You doing ok?” Alex asked, noticing that Kara’s foot was still twitching to an imaginary beat. An anxious tick she’d had for as long as Alex could remember. 

“I’m fine. Just worried. What if I’m wrong?” Alex walked up to the bunk, at eye level with Kara’s boot. Kara sighed and closed her eyes. 

“You’re not wrong dummy.” Alex rubbed Kara’s knee. “You’ve studied these documents harder than anyone. Certainly more than that desperate wannabe. If you’re wrong, all we’ve lost in time, little Luthor has us covered for at least another month.”

“What if we can’t get back?” Kara asked quietly, hoping Alex would be able to set her mind at ease. 

“Then we kick some water witches behind, and we find a way. We promised Mum we’d bring her back something cool, and I always keep a promise.” 

“Water witches? Is that what you think we’re looking for?” Kara grinned. 

“Honestly Kar, I understand maybe one word in five. I’m just here to slash my way through a jungle, bring back some new souvenirs and spend some time with my badass little sister.” Alex smiled. “Reckon they’ll have a gift shop?” 

Kara snorted, smacking Alex’s arm away. 

“And it has nothing to do with winning the affections of a certain producer?” Kara asked coyly. Alex blushed, and scoffed. 

“No idea, what you’re talking about sis. I’m here for you, little Luthor, J’onn and god help me, Winn. But if I can further the gay agenda to unknown islands in the pacific, who am I to deny the world.” 

“Sure. Sure. You keep telling yourself that. But seriously, thank you for coming, I couldn’t do this without you.” Kara swept her legs around, dangling them off the leg to pull Alex into an awkward hug. 

“Any time, Kara. You know that” They stood like that for a few more seconds. Before Alex sniffed the air.

“Christ, I think Winn’s destroying dinner. I’m going to go rescue whatever we have left. You sure you’re ok though. Don’t want you getting lost in that labyrinth you call a brain.”

“I’m fine. Just anxious. Go rescue dinner. I’m starving.” Alex gave her a squeeze and edged her way out of the narrow cabin.

Kara smiled to herself, legs swinging in time to the rocking of the boat. She was ridiculously glad her sister had joined the crew and had brought Winn with her. To be honest, it hadn’t been a hard sell. J’onn had been heavily involved in all of their lives and when he’d told them he was mounting an expedition with Kara and her employer, they’d all jumped at the opportunity. 

Kara was settling back into her bunk when the red light installed above the door began to flash. She sat bolt upright as the emergency alarm ripped through the ship. Echoing around the bulkheads of the Endurance. The lights cut out, leaving just the flashing red of the warning light. For what felt like a lifetime Kara held her breath, everything suspended in a surreal swell of panic. 

The Endurance slammed over the crest of a wave, and Kara was flung off the bunk and into the wooden closet that lined one wall of the cabin. The mirror shattered against her shoulder as she tumbled to the floor. 

“The heck – “ Kara stumbled to feet, her ears ringing, disoriented by the flashing lights and flickering electricity. She fumbled against the wall, trying to find anything to hold onto as the ship bucked wildly in the storm. 

She turned a corner, desperately heading towards the galley, Alex would know what to do. Alex could get her to Lena. Together they could keep everyone safe. Ride out the storm so to speak. 

A loud hissing was the only warning before a wave of water careered through the corridor. Kara gasped, her mouth flooding with water. She was thrown against the bulkhead, all sense of direction lost as she spun wildly through the flooded corridor.

Kara frantically waved her arms around desperate to find purchase on something, anything to stop her momentum. She felt metal between her fingers and instinct took over. She clenched her fist and pulled herself against the current. Gasping out a relieved laugh when she pulled herself up onto one of the ladders  
Her relief was short lived when the door wouldn’t budge. 

“Shit. Shit. Shit” Kara gasped, the water was rising around her shoulders. She could see through the porthole into the storm raging outside, waves hammering the deck just out of sight. Kara hammered on the glass, hoping that someone, anyone was still alive on this ship, anyone that could help her find her family and friends. Anyone that could save her. 

She felt the water lapping around her chin and took one final desperate lungful of air. Within seconds she was fully submerged, hammering her fist against the glass. Screaming wordlessly, using her last breath to scream into the void. 

Black spots were beginning to dance across her eyes. Her lungs screaming for her to take a breath. She stopped hammering, stopped struggling to tread water, her arms and legs beginning to feel like lead as she started to drift. 

She thought of Alex and their home in Midvale, where her foster mother would never know what had happened to her daughters.

She thought of Winn and all the times she tried to convince him that Nintendogs was clearly the greatest videogame on the planet. 

Of J’onn and every time he’d pushed her harder, rock-climbing, archery, languages, desperate to fulfil an ancient promise to her parents. 

And finally, she thought of Lena. Of all the time she’d wasted. 

All the times she convinced herself that being her best friend was enough. That she could live with just having Lena in her life. All the times she wanted to tell her she loved her. When the sun had set behind her on a hike, Lena grinning wildly from behind her camera. 

When she’d laughed drinking a hot chocolate and it had spurted out of her nose all over Kara. 

When they slept side by side, both lost in their heads, grasping each others hands desperate to anchor themselves in something real. 

Kara almost smiled to herself, when suddenly a sharp pain in her wrist brought her blearily back to consciousness. 

She was pulled onto the deck and she collapsed onto the deck, the boat still being flung wildly in what felt like every direction.

Kara gasped, clearing her lungs, coughing water onto the waterlogged deck. She looked up and saw the deck had been ripped in two. She could see the sky with the rise of the wave, where the bridge of the ship should be. As the boat crested the wave, she saw the bridge, hanging onto her section of the deck by miracles. 

She could see J’onn holding onto a mast on the other side of the tear in the deck. Frantically waving his arms. His yells lost to the storm, but his message was not. She had to get to him. She had to get to him now. One more wave, and this ship would be in two. 

Kara breathed deeply, closing her eyes, summoning all the strength she knew she had. And she ran. 

She flung herself forwards. Boots slipping on the deck. Her knees clattering onto the wood, her arms flailing wildly to pull her along. The deck had veered upwards, almost vertical. Kara screamed, her feet leaving the deck, suspended between deck and wild sky. She landed hard, air knocked from her lungs. But still she ran. 

She could see the edge of the deck. And she pushed. Her legs springing her into the air. Lightning split the sky. Time slowed down. Kara’s legs wildly flew beneath her, willing herself forwards. 

J’onn stood, arms out, ready to catch her. There hands touched, and she grasped it with all her strength. She could feel J’onn holding on tightly, trying to pull her up.  
But Kara could feel herself slipping. Her skin wet and offering no grip for J’onn’s tight grasp. 

Her fingers slipped through his, and she was falling. 

As she slammed into the water, she only had two thoughts. 

She’d almost made it and she prayed to god that Lena had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It only takes an instant to die," continued her father’s voice. "The way to survive Kara, is to make sure you never reach that instant."
> 
> "Are you listening, Kara?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thank-you to everyone who commented, subscribed and kudos'd - it's awesome. Truly, truly awesome.   
> I'm aiming for an update every 3 days or so. 
> 
> Secondly! 
> 
> I'm twisting this all up to the game, by popping in different perspectives. Rather than just following Kara, we'll have some additions from Alex, Sam, Winn, J'onn and Lena. Let me know this works, if there's any parts of the game, or characters you want more of etc. 
> 
> Thirdly!
> 
> PSA...
> 
> There is gong to be some cringy as heck whump coming up. If that's not your thing, don't sweat it. I'll pop a warning at the top of the chapter, and you can either ditch and run. Or wait til next time. :) 
> 
> Anyhoo - ONWARDS.

They say falling from a great height into water is like hitting concrete. All Kara could think was that maybe concrete would have been better. Instead of a swift death, a swirling vortex sucked her under the brutal waves.

Kara’s heart pounded in her chest, as she struggled to break through the surface of the water. Her muscles ached, her lungs were screaming and her eyes fought desperately against the salty water.

It was seconds after she tore above the roaring waves before she realised she could take a shuddering breath of air. Water and debris forcing their way past her face as she spluttered.

Kara tried to make out her surroundings. To see if there was anything she could hold onto, to swim towards, to give her anything but a watery grave.

Lightning cut through the sky. The crash of thunder that followed rang in Kara’s aching head, before she noticed a looming mountain silhouetted against a stormy sky.

 _There. I just have to get there._ Kara thought desperately, taking a great and watery breath. 

 _“It only takes an instant to die, Kara…_ ”

As she struggled to swim away from the new wave towering over her. Kara heard her father’s voice in her head. Patiently recounting the survival skills he’d learned during his time in the military, before all of the adventuring and expeditions. In a time before Kara, when it was just him, J’onn and Alex’s own father, Jeremiah. Before she’d been adopted, and long before she met Lena and Winn. When it was just her and her father, in a hammock in the backyard, a warm and crackling fire before them.

Kara found it oddly soothing, to listen to his calm, quiet voice, and she found the strength to push herself through the churning water, even though her muscles were almost useless with exhaustion.

 _“It only takes an instant to die,”_ continued her father’s voice. “ _The way to survive Kara, is to make sure you never reach that instant. Are you listening, Kara?”_

“I’m listening.” Croaked Kara, forcing herself to take a few more strokes before floundering to a stop.  She tried to blink some of the seawater from her eyes and looked over her shoulder to see whether she was clear of the breaking wave.

She groaned. All that effort and she’d barely moved. She might as well have been treading water. The wave still towered over her, even higher now. It was a solid slab of black water, except at the top, where she could imagine a fraying edge of white foam. The wave had reached its crest and was beginning to curl over.

In a few seconds, the whole weight of that wall of water would crash down on top of her, forcing the air from her lungs.

Kara stopped swimming. She knew she was fighting a loosing battle. Instead, concentrating on her breathing, topping up her system with as much oxygen as she could before the wave hit. She felt herself being tugged backwards, like so many times before, as she was sucked into the base of the breaking wave. Forcing her burning lungs to take in one more deep breath, she turned. And dived down under the surface, a second before the breaker crashed down on her.

Even under the water, she was overwhelmed by the impact. As she’d predicted the wave had slammed down on her and knocked all the air out of her with a casual efficiency, that reminded her of Eliza kneading dough. Rather than desperately fighting as she had before, she tumbled lazily through the water, drifting on the edge of consciousness.

Kara thought about her foster mother making bread half a wold away in the kitchen she’d been so excited to leave. She thought of how sad Eliza would be if she didn’t return from this trip. How heartbroken Alex would be if she thought she couldn’t protect her baby sister. And once again, she thought of never having the chance to even catch a glimpse of Lena again and suddenly she was fully awake again.

She began to struggle against the current, which was still rolling her over and over Pulling her nearer and nearer to what she assumed to be the reef that had so efficiently torn the Endurance in two.

If she was dragged across the razor-sharp rocks, her skin would be torn to ribbons. How close was she?

There was a roaring in her ears, which could be breaking surf. Kara forced her eyes open, but it was so dark under the water, she couldn’t tell which way was up.

She redoubled her efforts to swim against the current until it felt like her chest was about to burst open. Her movements became weaker, the roaring in her ears grew louder, and sparks of multi-coloured light began to dance behind her eyes. But still she kept going. And suddenly, the current let her go.

She broke the surface and pulled great breaths of air into her lungs. Lightning continued to crackle its spindly fingers through the clouded sky. She could still see the dark, jagged outline of the island she was desperate to reach. She craned her neck, and saw the surf breaking on the reef behind her. It was still too close for comfort and another huge wave was beginning to build.

Gritting her teeth, Kara started to swim again, desperately praying her exhausted limbs on, scanning the restless seas for any sign of the crew of the Endurance.

In what might have been hours, days or simply a millennia depending on which part of Kara’s aching body you asked, she felt sold earth beneath her feet. The tide drawing her out slightly, before sending Kara tumbling onto the sandy beach she had been so desperate to reach.

Kara winced as a flash of lightning burned across her retinas. She coughed, desperate to clear her lungs. She squeezed her eyes closed, pulling herself up onto her hands and knees. She collapsed onto her elbows, and vomited seawater onto the waterlogged beach.

“Gross, Kar. Just gross” She groaned to herself, resting her head on her wrist, sand already worming its way into every nook and cranny.

Every inch of her body felt battered and bruised. She rolled over onto her back, content to just breathe for a second. Heavy raindrops making it hard for her to ignore her current predicament. The wind howled around her, sending a shiver down her spine.

Still she kept coughing, squinting into the distance where she thought she saw fire. Someone must have made it. Maybe everyone was ok, maybe they had all made it off the boat in time.

She struggled to her feet, slipping as the sand gave way beneath her feet.

“ALEX!” She roared. The rise was quite a way up the beach, but maybe, just maybe someone would hear her

“LENA!”

“WINN. SAM. J’ONN!

“ANYONE!”

If anyone other than her own desperate ears heard her, they didn’t respond.

 

* * *

 

When Alex was younger, and Kara was staying with her and her mother whilst their fathers went off in the search for some distant dream, she’d convinced Kara to go down to the beach at the bottom of the garden with her in the middle of the night.

Looking back she’d knew it had been an idiotic thing for a 12 year old and an 8 year old to be doing. But she’d wanted to, and Kara hadn’t been difficult to persuade. So there they had been, waterproof boots pulled on over pyjama bottoms, wading in a rock pool trying to find a crab by moonlight, when Kara had slipped on some seaweed and cracked her head.

To this day she couldn’t remember the events that had transpired fully, just hazy glimpses of blood and sand and water. She’d dragged Kara back to the house, screaming for her mum.

Alex had always thought that would be the scariest thing she’d ever have to experience on a beach. Turns out, someone out there had had other plans for Alex Danvers.

She was stood on a rise, people wailing and yelling all around. The wind and rain doing it’s very best to put out the fledgling fire Alex had ordered a crewmember to do his best to make. To act as a beacon she’d said, to let all the other survivors know where to go if they were lucky enough to make it to shore.

Because Alex was under no illusions. They were survivors, because not everyone was making it out of that water alive, and Alex’s heart clenched for everyone she hadn’t yet located.

“Come on. Come on. COME ON!”  Alex turned around and saw Winn desperately giving CPR to a motionless crewmember. _Davis_ , Alex thought. Wife, no kids, but a cute newfoundland puppy with boundless energy who had come to see him off.

She watched as Sam, placed a calming hand on Winn’s shoulder. He’d been going hard, for nearly twenty minutes, and there were other’s that needed his help.

Winn shrugged off her hand, wiped a hand across his face and shakily stood up.

“Winn.” Alex yelled over the wind. “Go over there and help put pressure on Akoye’s leg.” He nodded, grateful for the distraction. Alex held his eye contact for a few seconds. Trying to convey as much calming energy as she could. Tearfully he looked away. And Alex felt a stone settle in her stomach when she realised the techy nerd she thought of as a little brother would never been the same after this.

Instead of dwelling on the future, Alex put her hand on her hips, directing individuals left and right. Triaging as individuals staggered up the dunes towards the rise.

It was a stroke of miraculous luck that had seen her lifeboat make it safely over the reef. Sam had held Alex’s hand in a white knuckled grip as the boat had done its best to throw them out. Winn had been behind them, yelling every time it felt like they were going to tip. Other crew members whispering prayers and silent cries.

Alex had watched as other lifeboats in front of them had hit the reef, splitting in two, not unlike the Endurance had a mere minute before.

She’d twisted, eyes straining to see the Endurance. J’onn had forced her onto a boat, all but dragging her kicking and screaming. Telling Sam to watch her and Winn. He’d launched the boat to Alex’s tearful cries. Yelling for Kara til her throat had dried up and she’d had no choice but to join in her own silent prayers.

“I knew this would happen. Stupid, idiot of a girl.”

Alex’s head snapped up. _Of course that bastard survived_. She stormed over to where Mon-El was pacing, waving one hand in the air, talking to no-one but himself.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She screamed, grabbing him by his elbow and spinning him round.

“People are dying. My sister might be dead.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, fingernails digging into the palm of her hand. “And you’re over here doing what? Saying that you told us so?”

Mon-El spluttered in the face of the furious brunette. Face going red with embarrassment or rage. Most likely both.

“Get yourself over there and help save someone’s life.” Alex took a breath, all but shoving him in Winn’s direction.

“Before I yeet you back into the sea, you fucking sack of shit.” She yelled after him. Watching as he stumbled over his own feet in an attempt to make a hasty retreat.

Sam had been watching from the other side of the fire, pausing for a second as she pulled an unconscious man from the beach by his belt. The flames roared against the wind, blowing wildly to and fro. But Sam could see Alex trying to harness a calm demeanour to push down the twisting sense of panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Sam could almost see the younger brunette build her walls. Her spine seemed to straighten under the weight of a hundred souls where anyone else’s would have crumbled. And it physically hurt Sam to watch her have to do it.

She deposited the man by the fire. He was the last from the beach. If she stood on the point of the ridge she might be able to see if anyone else were to come ashore. If Lena had made It on another life-boat, she wanted to be there to bring her back to the warmth of the fire. She’d known Lena for a long time. The Arias’ and the Luthor’s had always attended each other’s galas, both supporting each others vapid sense of importance.

Sam although nearly 7 years older, had appreciated the distractions the young girl had brought to the boring functions of her early teenage years. And when she’d fallen pregnant with Ruby and been disowned in disgrace. It had been Lena who had kept in touch. She wasn’t going to lose her oldest friend, and her daughter’s godmother to this godforsaken island.  

“We’re going to find them.” Sam said, walking up beside Alex. She grasped the bracelet on her wrist, panicking for a second as she thought the charm Ruby had brought her for Mother’s Day had been lost in the evacuation. Breathing calmly, she brought herself to her full height, thinking of Ruby, warm in a bed, with not a care in the world. Sam could only hope, that if Alex saw her being strong as well, she’d realise she didn’t have to carry the weight of this alone.

Alex just nodded, jaw clenched, blinking rapidly. She could almost convince herself it was all rain, the moisture rolling down her face.

Her head shot to one side, Sam jumping at the ferocity.

“Did you hear that?” She said, tilting her head in hopes of hearing the mysterious sound over the wind.

Sam just shook her head but strained her ears none the less.

Alex could swear she’d heard someone calling her name out there. But the harder she listened, the more desperate she became, and the less she heard. She was ready to run down to the beach to search for herself, when she heard someone crying her name much closer

“Alex!” Winn was yelling, his hands pressed desperately into Akoye’s thigh, blood turning pink as it mixed with the rain.

“Alex, I need your help, I can’t stop the bleeding. I’m not sure he’s breathing. ALEX!” His cries, getting more and more panicked, as Akoye’s once clenching fists fell limply at his side.

Alex dropped her hands to her side and ran towards Winn. It probably had been just the wind.

 

* * *

Kara watched the figures on the ridge, moving wildly around, yells and cries drifting down to the beach. She continued to stagger towards them. Her lungs still burning with the exertion. Kara scanned the beach, hoping to see other survivors who might need help. 

Praying to Rao and her long gone parents to guide her back to her family. And to Lena.

So determined was she to reach the ridge, Kara failed to see the mysterious figure behind her. Arms raised, bringing a rock swinging down onto Kara’s head.

The first she knew of it was a blinding pain. Then darkness.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come freak out with me: a-random-fandom. 
> 
> Much gay as fuck nerding to be found there. 
> 
> (If anyone has any prompts or other AU's lemme know!)


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara wakes up alone and scared. But that doesn't mean her loved ones aren't there to help in the direst of circumstances...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There some impalement, death and general decomposing grimness. So if not your cup of tea, no sweat, next chapter should be less -um- grossly grim. 
> 
> So no different perspectives this time. All Kara, but some casual hallucinations. Lena, Alex and Mama Winn. 
> 
> Also slightly longer than usual. I think I'll be throwing some of Lena's perspective into the next chapter. 
> 
> Thank-you to everyone who's commented and kudos'd and subscribed since the last chapter, it's super appreciated! (I'll reply to everyone shortly!)

Everything felt too loud and too muffled all at once.

Kara struggled to open her eyes. She could feel herself being dragged across rugged ground. The gritty sand from before gone, replaced by cold, damp rocks, scraping her stomach where her vest top had ridden up. Her arms tied across her chest by some foul smelling material.

She could vaguely make out patches of intense light, sending bursts of pain through her already pounding head. The flickering candles, working together to light a whole cavern, wooden beams criss-crossing above her, holding up boulders and loose rock face. 

Kara recoils in horror, a cracked skull bounced off her shoulders and across her face.

_Bones? Wh -_

The thought slips through her mind, her exhausted and aching brain struggling to hold onto any coherent thought for long.

She isn’t sure how long she drifts in the painful haze. When they come to a stop, she rouses herself enough to try and kick out at whoever it is that’s been dragging her along. But her ankles were bound and all she did was make her head hurt more.

Everything stills for a moment, and Kara floats once more, somewhere close to unconsciousness, before, suddenly the world is turned upside down, and the blood is rushing to her head.

Her brain isn’t functioning quickly enough to piece together what all of her senses are telling her.

The sound of a rope passing across metal and heavy breathing behind her.

The smell of burning candles and rotting flesh.

Kara took a moment to wonder why the waterfall was running in the opposite direction.

Then, as quickly as it had started, her jerky ascent stopped. And everything quieted.

She thought she heard footsteps echoing around the room, but she’d already closed her eyes. To drained to fight any longer.

________  
 

Kara returned to consciousness with all the subtlety of a freight train. Her head pounded and her stomach rolled with nausea. She was gently swinging side to side.

“Alex!” She screamed, thrashing desperately. She could feel the tightness in her chest, her breaths coming in short bursts, panic churning inside her. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe.

“ALEX!”

“ALEX!”

“AL – “ She choked, her mouth dry, chest heaving.

Kara realised for the first time in her life, maybe her sister wasn’t going to be there to get her out of this one. Maybe whoever had gotten her had gotten everyone from the beach. Maybe no-one was coming, ever.

“No.” She whispered, shaking her head sternly. “I’ve got this.”

_I’ve got this._

She took several deep breaths. _I’ve got this._

For the first time with a clear head, Kara looks around. She’s hanging from a large wooden beam that looks to be length of the cavern, wedged into position and held in place by large boulders.

Below her, driftwood serving as a partial floor, she could just make out more darkness through the cracks.

 She shifts her body weight to the side, trying to build the momentum to turn. Hoping a full view of the room will help her find a way down.

Kara yelps and if it were possible, she would have slapped her hands to her mouth. Beside her hangs a decaying body, wrapped in the same material she is and hanging from the same beam. Only that person was very, very dead. Kara could feel the panic again, before a weird calm settled over her.

_Alex would be able to get out of this._

_Alex would know what to do._

_What would Alex Danvers do?_

And so Kara repeated it over and over in her head, a mantra spurring her on.

_What would Alex do? What would Alex do? What would Alex do?_

Using her body to swing herself side to side, Kara hoped she could dislodge herself somehow.

Eventually she knocked into the body beside her; the smell was enough to make her gag.

And like a ball on newton’s cradle, their two bodies swung side to side. Kara watched in detached fascination as the body beside her was thrown into the shrine of candles built into the wall.

Fascination which turned to horror as the material binding the body together was set alight. It was like lighting a fuse. Kara shied away from the sudden heat as the remains fell.

She heard them clatter into the wooden planks below, shattering into pieces, before falling further still. A dull crash echoed around the cave.

Kara closed her eyes for a second, offering a silent prayer that someone was looking out for that persons soul.

A soft crackling above her drew her attention. She saw what was left of the rope that had been holding the body up was slowly burning, like a fuse, creeping up towards the beam.

Kara followed the rope up and around, and saw that the fire was starting to catch on the beam itself.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

She increased her struggling, determined to break free of the material. She clenched her fists and roared, pushing her arms out with a yell. She thought she heard something give. A quick glance above her let her know she was quickly running out of time, if she fell from this height onto her head, she was done for.

_Please. Please. Please_.

She felt a swell of triumph in her chest as she forced one arm free.

_Yes. Yes. Yes._

Before she could celebrate any harder, the flames had reached the rope tying her ankles. The triumph was replaced with cold dread as she fumbled to free her other arm.

She started to tear at the material still holding her other arm to her chest, the wrappings still tight. But it was too late; the flames had burned through the rope that was holding her tied ankles to the beam.

Kara had been expecting a large snap, something to warn her before she started plummeting towards the ground. She fought to twist herself in mid air, hoping to limit the damage to a limb or something less likely to kill her in an instant.

_Never reach that instant Kara…_ She heard her father’s voice in her head once again. She’d failed him.

Kara wasn’t sure what was more shocking, the sudden stop or the fact that she was still breathing.

She huffed out a laugh. The material she was tangled up in had caught on the edge of some of the driftwood that had splintered when the last body had crashed through it.

She was dangling like a sack of potatoes; her ankles still tied together, one arm awkwardly strapped to her chest.

The relief however was short lived as the material started to rip slowly, unravelling around her. She grasped at it, desperate to hold on, but the material tore away in her hand and she was tumbling to the floor once again.

Time seemed slow. She remembered thinking how much easier it would be to fall onto concrete than into a stormy ocean, she would have rolled her eyes if she’d thought it would be worth anything.

The sight of the ground flying up to greet her reminded her of the time Lena had begged her to go skydiving, Go Pro’s strapped to their helmets like this was something they’d done all the time. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to recall everything about the day.

 Lena’s laugh, Lena’s hand in hers as she sat nervously in the plane and then Lena’s arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders after they’d landed. Lena had been ecstatic to have finally done something her mother had so vehemently forbid her from doing.

Pain erupted as Kara fell onto the watery ground. She yelled hoarsely, her hands clutching her side, lungs gasping for air. Daring to look down, she pulled her hands aside and saw a long and thin rebar poking through her skin. One hand snaked round her back to feel the entry wound.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Kara sobbed.  

_I can’t do this_. “I can’t do this.” She sobbed, unable to move, simply holding her side and trying to gasp a lungful of air.

_“You can do anything Kara. We. We can do anything_.” Lena’s soft voice, punctuated with breathy laughter, filtered through her own desperate thoughts.

_“Literally anything.”_ Lena had grasped her shoulders and shaken the laughter right out of her. Parachutes littering the ground beside them. Faces split with laughter and happiness. That had been the first time Kara had seen Lena truly shine. Out from beneath her mother’s shadow, free from her brother’s legacy. And she’d helped make that happen.

She wanted to see that Lena again. She needed to see that Lena again.

She tried to sit up, her stomach muscles refusing to cooperate. She slumped back to the ground with a small splash. The metal had to go.

_“How do these medical shows get it so wrong_.” It was Alex’s voice this time, Kara vaguely remembering her sister waving dramatically at the television. “ _You should never remove an impaled object. Unless y’know, airway, CPR, blah blah blah!”_

Kara winced at the thought. “Sorry Alex.” She muttered. Taking a firm grip on the metal. She tried to pull gently at first and a low groan turned into a loud scream as she slowly removed it.

_“The issue when you’ve been impaled with something, is that that something is stopping any internal bleeding. Remove the object, there’s nothing stopping the flow. Keep it in, it’ll certainly slow the bleeding down long enough to get someone to a hospital. But where’s the drama in that. Pfft.”_ Alex had continued on, mostly in a low grumble, but loud enough that Kara had been paying attention.

Kara pulled harder and a little faster, eager to be done of the gut wrenching pain. With a final pull and a scream that had echoed around the cavern for moments after, she flung the rebar across the space, it colliding with a boulder some metres away.

She pressed down hard on the wound, praying the bleeding would stop. After a few minutes she dared a look.

_It’s ok. It’s ok. Wrap it up and it’ll be like nothing happened. But I’m going to need to move first._

Kara leant forward to deal with the knot around her ankles.

She struggled with it for a few moments, breathing heavily.

When the knot finally loosened, and feeling started to return to her feet she breathed a little easier. Looking around. She searched for something to tie around her waist until finally she saw some of the material she’d been wrapped up in.

It was filthy, covered in god only knows what, but Kara knew at this point infection was likely, and also knew that it wasn’t not an immediate concern. Blood loss however, was.

She tore it into strips and tried her best to clean it in the water she was sat in. When it looked slightly more beige than black, she pulled her boots off. Wincing as the drying sand fell into the water.

_Thank-you, always wear two pairs of socks Winn Schott._ Kara smiled.

Winn had always told her to stop complaining about having cold feet if she wasn’t going to do something about it. That had been freshman year of college and he’d brought her a new pair of socks for every special occasion since.

And by special, she’s referring to the Spring Equinox, 4/20 and any slightly humorous ‘national day of’. She was particularly partial to the pair of pie socks he’d given her on Pi day this year.

Meaning that, thanks to Mama Winn, Kara always wore two pairs with her boots, so she now had a pair to spare.

Pulling the top sock off Kara laid it over her thigh and replaced her boot. She did the same on the other side, before folding the socks in two and pressing one tightly to the wound on her back. Using one of the strips of cloth, she fixed the sock tightly in place, before repeating the process.

Once she was confident she wasn’t going to bleed to death imminently, Kara tried to stand. Pins and needles shot up and down her feet, but that was nothing compared to the sudden rush of vertigo. Kara stumbled and leaned heavily on the rock face behind her. This time, slow breathing and crossing fingers wasn’t enough to keep the nausea at bay. She turned and vomited bile and more sea water onto the sodden ground.

_Gross_.

Kara pressed herself away from the wall with a shudder. She walks – see stumbles – further into the cave system, trying her best to ignore the bones and skulls that seem to be coming out of the rock face; seemingly shoved into any cranny wide enough to hold one. Her foot catches awkwardly and she falls sideways, grimacing as the fire builds in her side.

“Oh Rao. Oh no, no, no.” Kara stumbles into the next open cavern, and her stomach threatens to rebel again.

A rotting body was strung between two posts, both arms spread-eagled across a shrine of candles.

“What happened to you?” Kara whispered. Was this some kind of human sacrifice? Is this what they had planned for her?

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Kara says, hanging her head in a small sign of respect as she passes. Ahead of her, Kara sees a passageway; with old buoys, tin cans and water canteens strung across the entrance, clearly a rudimentary alarm system.

_Well if they didn’t hear me screaming earlier, I’m sure this won’t bring them running._ Kara thought ruefully. She peers through but sees only pitch blackness; instead she doubles back, pulls a flaming torch off the wall, and clasps it in her free hand.

She tries to crouch and pass beneath the alarm, but a spasm in her side sends her shooting to her feet again, head and shoulders colliding with the metal making it clank together loudly.

“Shit that was loud.” She stumbles into the passageway, stopping and pushing herself against the cave wall when she hears the faint mumbling of voices. Not loud enough for her to make out what they were saying but certainly enough for her to know she wasn’t alone. She creeps forward, still pressing against the wall, seeing a small opening, just wide enough for her to squeeze through.

One hand still grasping the torch like a lifeline. She bites her lip as she contorts her body to fit through the narrow gap. A small waterfall falls over the exit into the next chamber, extinguishing her torch.

Kara squints, trying to adjust to the darkness. It clearly looks like a storage room. With boxes and barrels stacked high against the walls.

She can see a rockslide one corner off the room has sealed off one of the entrances and she can’t make out where the other might be. A pulley system hangs from the ceiling, a mesh of ropes and cogs stretching back into an alcove at the back of the cavern.

_There must be way out up there. Otherwise why have a pulley._ She thought to herself, already cringing at the thought of the climb.

The shelves and barrels were stacked in such a way that she could probably use them as stepping stones up to the alcove.

Kara pulled herself up the first three barrels, hanging on to shelves to steady herself. Some of the red containers seemed to be empty, echoing loudly under her movements. Others half full and every once in a while one that sounded solid. It took her longer that she would have liked to reach the top of the stack. The alcove was still a good few feet above where she stood.

As she jumped, stretching to her full height, her arms outstretched the barrel she had been standing on shook. It wobbled dangerously; Kara held her breath, barely holding on to the edge of the ledge. A domino effect followed, one barrel fell, then another, then another. The thunderous collapse echoed through the cavern and beyond. She cursed, there was nothing but a 20 metre drop beneath her now, and the only option was up.

Kara pulled herself up, shoulders level with her hands, shaking against the strain.

_“Come on Kar. Come on. You’re nearly there.”_  Kara squinted, small beads of sweat at her hairline, trying to find the energy to swing her leg up onto the ledge. Alex was on the ledge – well a much younger, Alex. Hair much longer, no scars to be seen under the workout clothes she was wearing, the climbing centre’s logo emblazoned across her chest. Small white clouds of chalk puffed out as she clapped her hands.

_“Come on. You’re nearly there. Just one more, then I promise we’ll get your favourite for dinner. Just a little bit further.”_ Alex urged her on, slapping her imagined hand on the ground.

“Pot – “ Kara took a shuddering breath. “Potstickers.” She mumbled, heaving her leg as far as it would go, scraping along the ledge as she used it as leverage to pull the rest of her exhausted body up. She rolled once, collapsing onto her back breathing heavily.

“Potstickers right ‘Lex.” Kara whispered. “Alex?”

Kara knew she wasn’t there, she couldn’t be. She was alone. But some small childish part of her wished for her sister. Wished for a hug, for someone to tell her it was all ok, just another nightmare. And to be honest some painkillers wouldn’t go amiss.

Kara rolled over, hand over her stomach, and a large doorway before her, and to the right of that, a square passageway, maybe a metre and a half tall and the same width. She crouched down to take a look, but it was long and she couldn’t see past the first metre of so. Just enough to make out some tracks and what could be a wagon on wheels, clearly used for transporting.

“Oi!”

Kara flung herself backwards, scrambling to get away from the man that stood before her. He stalked towards her hunched over as if trying to grab her. He lunged, reaching for Kara’s ankle. She rolled to the side and struggled to get to her feet. She stood, back to the wall, hands gathered as loose fists in front of her.

Another lunge and Kara ducked underneath the two arms, throwing a fist into his gut, before weaving the other way. The man roared and grabbed her shoulders before she had a chance to react.

She tried to spin out of his grasp. But he looped his arm around her throat.

“Stop struggling.” She felt the spittle on the side of her cheek as she desperately scratched at the arm around her neck. His grip tightened the more she struggled. Soon it was hard to breathe, her airway struggling under the brute force.

Kara opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could, she felt the blood in her mouth moments before she heard the scream. The grip around her neck loosened and she stumbled forwards. She didn’t have the leverage to break free entirely, but enough to get closer to the wall. She threw her head backwards. Darkness threatened the edges of her vision but she used the surprise to push back off the wall, further surprising her captor. He let her go, sending her straight to the floor, stumbling backwards, one step.

Two step.

Three Step.

There was no fourth step.

Kara heard the scream as the man stepped off the ledge. She heard the smash as he fell into the fallen barrels below. Then she heard silence.

If she closed her eyes tightly enough, she could almost ignore the screaming pain in her side and the hollowness in her chest.  

_“You need to move.”_

_“C’mon Kara, we can’t lie here all day. “_

_“I can’t feel my thighs anymore and I’m blaming you.”_

_“Kara.”_

“Lena?”

_“Kaaaaaaara. I know you’re pretending to be asleep.”_

_“You’ve got the crinkle.”_

_“Up and at ‘em."_

_“But for the love of good, get out of bed.”_

“But I’m comfy.” Kara whispered.

_“And I need to pee and Winn’s waiting for us. As much as I love this bed and you, your head weighs a ton.”_

“But you’re comfy.”

_“You just like my boobs.”_ Fake Lena laughed.

“I do. I do. I do.”

Kara opened her eyes. That wasn’t how that conversation had ended. It had ended with Lena threatening to throw out the pizza she’d saved for breakfast. Not admitting that her favourite place on this planet was anywhere Lena was, and if that so happened to involve cuddling in bed post movie night, then so be it.

But she wouldn’t get the chance to do it again if she didn’t move.

_“There we go. Good job, Kara. Come find me.”_

Lena’s voice faded away, and Kara eased herself onto her hands and knees. She edged over to the ledge and peered over. Pulling herself back over the second she saw what lay below.

She’d killed a man.

He was dead. Blood pooling beneath him, buckle piercing his skin. Dead.

_“Come find me Kara.”_

“I’m coming Lee.” Kara stood, trying to decide which passage to take. The small tunnel or the large passageway the man had surprised her from.

Deciding against the walking straight into other people, Kara crawled into the tunnel, her body scrunched over itself, her knees knocking against her chin as she struggled to move forwards.

She can feel a breeze from the end of the tunnel, cold, not like the damp, warm air that she’d grown used to. Kara doubled her efforts, moving inch by inch until she stumbled out the other end.

The wagon that was clearly used on the tracks had fallen onto its side beside her, but she could see sunlight flooding the latest cavern. It was coming from the top of what looked like another rockslide.

The opening looked small from where she stood, but it was an escape and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to get out of here.

“Here we go again.”  Kara breathed, shaking out her arms, it was steep but she could just about see a route up.

“Hey Alex, if you’re in my head. I could really use a pep talk. Maybe tell me how much you hate N*Sync. Or how much you hate the pout. Oh, or that cute pouty gif from Hotel Transylvania. That was a good film.” Kara reached up for the first hand hold.

“Or we can debate how you’re clearly the horse from Tangled, again. I very much appreciated your argument for the mercenary. But everyone agreed with me in the end.”

“But Maximus was the best. He saved the day.” Kara continued. Pulling herself up another step.

“And let’s be honest, Winn would totally be Pascal.”

“Lena would be Rapunzel. Locked in the tower, an absolutely horrendous mother, rescued by the devilish rogue.”

“And I mean, I could totally pull of a Flynn Rider.” Kara cold feel the breeze on her face growing stronger.

“I can rescue the princess.” Kara huffed.

“Wait… would that make J’onn the mercenary captain? OH. And Vasquez can be Vladimir.”

“ _And Vladimir collects ceramic unicoooooorns._ ” Kara sang softly to herself.

One final heave, had Kara squeezing herself out of the narrow gap at the top of the rockslide.

She pumps a fist in the air, allowing the breeze to blow through her fingers.

After several moments, Kara once again stood supporting herself on the cliff face behind her.

She was on a leafy plateau, the waves crashing into the rocks below. Kara can see the masts of ships wrecked against the reef almost as far as the eye can see.

But no beach. Turning behind her, she can see a trail leading off round the side of a mountain, a winding path that disappears into what could be a valley and off again.

Kara rubbed a hand down her face, only just noticing the itch of her contact lenses.

“Follow the yellow brick road. Follow the yellow brick road. Follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road.” She whispered, limping slowly away.

Kara was a long way from home. And she’d never felt so alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come freak out with me: a-random-fandom.
> 
> Much gay as fuck nerding to be found there.
> 
> (If anyone has any prompts or other AU's lemme know!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Next chapter. Happy Easter and Passover everyone and Happy Bank Holiday as well. 
> 
> Come nerd out on Tumblr! A-Random-Famdom.

Kara stumbled her way down the trail, humming through an impressive back catalogue of show tunes. She breathed in deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. Kara grits her teeth determined to push on. She limps on a few more metres before something bright catches her eyes down below.

“A lifeboat!” She whispers to herself. The yellow painted boat was blowing up against a sheer rock face, debris scattered across the beach below it.

“Lena!” She yells. But she knows she’s too far for anyone but herself to hear.

“Where are they?” Kara squints harder, wishing it would made a difference. But all she could see was the empty lifeboat.

_Think positively, Kara. There’s no bodies washed up on shore._ Kara gulped. _Not like before. Not like where you washed up_.

Kara starts to walk quicker, her side protesting at the sudden increased speed. It doesn’t last and soon she’s back to a slower stumble, but she’s made some decent progress as the trail starts to go downhill.

She could hear rushing water ahead. Not the steady pounding of the waves against the rocks, that had long since faded into background noise. Kara’s stomach drops. Before her the path had disappeared, washed away by a small, but powerful waterfall streaming down the mountain.

She rubs a hand down her face and makes her way up to the edge. She could see were the path picked up again, barely 15 metres away. Too far for her to jump. To her left a rotting tree trunk lay across the small canyon. It looked to be her only way to cross.

Kara nudged the tree with her boot, it didn’t shift, so at least she knew it was sturdy on one end at least. She looks down at the waters churning below and stepped up onto the tree trunk. It was wide enough that she could stand both feet side by side. She stretched her arms out trying to find some semblance of balance.

She lowered her centre of gravity as much as her side would allow, and slowly put one foot in front of the other edging her way across. Resolute, she stared at a point straight ahead of her, there was a discoloured patch of rock that she could almost convince herself looked like a smiley face.

Her left foot slipped, her arms flying out to cling to the tree as she fell. One leg dangling over the edge, the other wrapped around the trunk for all it was worth. Kara made the mistake of looking down.

_Oh. Oh wow. Th – That’s pretty far down._ The water was almost a solid white, frothing wildly. Bits of bark and moss were falling from the tree as she trembled, holding tighter and tighter.

_“Come on, dummy._ ” It was Alex again, Kara couldn’t see her this time, she didn’t think she could tear her eyes away from what lay beneath her to find her.

“What would you do. What would you do. What would you do.”

_“I’d get my arse moving.”_ Kara could imagine her sister’s eyebrow sitting up on an angle, arms crossed, foot tapping with impatience.

“Easy for you to say.” Kara muttered, shakily pushing herself upwards. “You’re not the one standing on an old tree trunk –“  Kara held her breath, an ominous creaking could be heard above the rushing water.  “I stand corrected. An old,  decaying, stinky trunk.”

She started walking again, arms shaking beside her. _Slow and steady. Slow and steady._ She thinks, trying to find the smiley face on the wall, but having no luck.

The creaking gets louder, and the trunk shifts underfoot. Kara speeds up,  and in three steps time she’s jumping, leaping from trunk, landing in a heap on solid ground and she’s never been more grateful.

The trail keeps going, she climbs over fallen trees, scrambles up low ledges and falls to her knees more times that she’d ever admit, but the trail just kept going.

Just as Kara was about to question whether she’d somehow gone the entire way around the mountain and was about to meet herself again, she crossed under a stone arch and stopped dead.

“Holy – “ Kara gasped. The sight that stretched before her was both incredible and terrifying. The ravine she’d crossed earlier paled in comparison to what lay before her now. Only this time, there was an old World War 2 bomber stretched across it, nose down creaking in the wind.

“Japanese judging by the markings, Fugaku.” She whispered to herself wondering how on earth it had ended up like this. Vines had grown over the wings holding it against the rockface, the wing closet to her had somehow gotten wedged between two boulders, stabilising the rusting metal.

Desperately, Kara looked around hoping to find way to continue. But – as was becoming typical today – she was going to have to go the hard way or not at all.

“Okay” Kara winced as she loosened her shoulders. The nose of the plane swaying slightly just before her.

“I can do this.”

_Sure you can sis._ Alex’s voice washes over her.

“Did you mean for that to sound sarcastic ‘Lex?”

_Well why don’t you come over here and ask me to my face._

“Outwardly taunting. Interesting choice.” Kara muttered. She walks over to the edge of the ravine. Eyeballing the structure of the plane. Most of the outer shell had fallen away leaving the inner cage open to the elements.

If she looked at it like it was a new set up at James’ gym. _And y’know, not a terrifying death trap._ She could do this. Kara crouches on the edge and springs up, hands wrapping around what used to be part of the cockpit.

She pulls herself up, and begins to climb the creaking wreck like a ladder. Albeit, a ladder least likely to pass standard health and safety checks.

Kara’s hand slips, her palm slicing open on the rusting metal.

_Shit. Shit._ She daren’t look down. With a yell, she swings her arm back up, stretching every muscle in her upper body. Metal shifts beneath her, huge panels fell from the upper part of the plane skimming past where she hangs.  

“ _You promised you’d always come find me Kara.”_

“I know Lee. I know. And I will.”  Kara says through gritted teeth, there’s nowhere else to climb up, beside her a rusting wing stretches out to the side, overhanging the ledge she needed to reach.

_“You’re nearly there Kar.”_ Fake Lena says.

“Pretty sure you said that last time.” She scoffs. Kara shimmys onto the wing, her arms screaming with the effort of supporting her whole body on her fingertips.

“ _Careful!”_ Fake Alex yelled. Kara had see the danger seconds before her brain had caught up with her. The flap of the wing fell down, cracking under the weight.

The joint rips and the whole wing buckles. The wing swings to the side sending Kara flying towards the ledge, her momentum sending her rolling over and over. Kara stumbled away, the wing falling with a terrifying groan right where she’d just landed.

“Suck on that ‘Lex. I just climbed a plane.” Kara huffed out a laugh. Back pressed against rock. The rain had started again, and she could feel it running tracks through the blood and dirt that seemed to cover every inch of her. It’s almost a relief. Almost.

Kara  moves forwards, a narrow ledge just wide enough for not to have to shimmy across winds around the cliff face. She braces herself with one palm grazing against the rock as she passes. The other clutching at her side.

The path soon begins to wind downhill. And she trudges on. Head bowed against the wind, teeth chattering with the cold.

Finally the path levels out and she can see colourful debris below. A luminous yellow pack, some torn duffels and empty equipment crates. Again it took her a few seconds for her brain to connect the dots.

That pack. It was Lena’s. Kara herself had been the open to give it to her. At the time she’d stated that she wanted to be able to find her wherever she was. Kara remembered the blush that had crept up her face as she’d said it. And all Lena had done was arch a graceful eyebrow, and pull her in for a hug

“ _You’ll always be able to find me Kara. Although this godawful yellow is going to wash me out. I don’t tan quite as well as you do.”_ She’d grinned. But that pack had been everywhere with them. To see it now, torn and without its owner broke something deep within her

“Lena!” She yells, hands cupping around her mouth. “LENA!” She tries again. But only the wind replies.

“They must have come this way.”

Kara scavenges around the equipment crates, leaving Lena’s pack for last.

In one of the upturned emergency crates, she finds some waterproof matches, and for the tenth time today, Kara sends a happy thought to any of the gods that might have been listening. Slipping them into the side of her cargo pants, she moves onto the next.

Upturning this one, she sorts through what remains. Nothing of any use to her, certainly not that she can carry, but under a broken torch she finds one of the crew’s solar powered walkies.

Kara falls to her knees, turning the dial to on.

“Lena?” She tries desperately, clutching it close to her face Her bloodied palm leaving a streak on the radio’s yellow accenting.

“Alex?”

“J’onn. Winn.”

“Can anyone hear me?” Kara deflates when the only response is more static. She stands, swallowing a lump in her throat, and attaches the radio to her belt.

Finally, Kara pulls Lena’s pack towards her. Her heart sinking once again when she saw that it was mostly empty. The outer material badly torn, one strap all but gone and the other barely attached.

Inside she pulls out sodden paper, what was left of her production notes. Kara flips through a waterlogged notebook but there’s nothing of any value in the pages.

Finally at the bottom of the back, Kara’s hands brush against a hard, plastic case. Pulling it free Kara smiles when she realises it’s Lena’s handheld camera travel case. The one she used for the ‘behind the scenes’ shots. _Because DVD extras are a thing Kara._

“Are DVD’s even still a thing?” Kara smiled to herself, recalling the conversation from the beginning of the trip. This was her personal camera. She’d been using it in the map room during the argument with Mon-El. Kara sighed, that felt like a lifetime ago.

But by some miracle or chance, or Lena’s never-ending insistence that they should always ‘Be Prepared’ the camera had survived the shipwreck to end all shipwrecks.

_“I was a Girl Scout, Kara. That shit sticks.”_

Kara attaches the case to her belt, grimacing it grazes against her side.

“I’m coming. I’m coming.”

And so, Kara keeps walking. Easing towards the edge of another sheer drop, but suddenly the ledge gives way and she’s falling again.

The drop is short, but the slope she lands on is slick with water and mud and she’s sliding over rocks and tree branches are whipping at her as she picks up speed. She comes to a rolling stop at the bottom, adding bruises on top of bruises.

The thunder and lightning had started again, and the rain was unforgiving. The wind blew harder and she was exhausted.

“I need to find shelter.” She breathes. “Just for a little while.”

Kara can see the breath in front of her face, and she’s shivering harder that she thought possible. Every inch of her dripping wet.

The path narrows and she’s walking along another ledge, she crouches as a rocky overhang cuts across her path. After a few moments, the space between the ledges opens up and an alcove appears.

“Ha!” Kara barks out a laugh, refraining from a celebratory fist pump. An old fire-put, long since abandoned, sits back within the alcove. A stone ring and a few charred branches are the only thing that marks this as a potential campsite.

The ground was mostly dry and the rain wasn’t being blown back onto her. All in all. She couldn’t have lucked out much harder. Kara shuffles around the alcove, in the back corner a pile of dry wood rests against the back wall. The previous inhabitant obviously more prepared than she was.

Kara immediately set about creating a fire. Having stacked the dry wood on top of some kindling, she pulled out the waterproof matches. She struck one against the strip inside the container. Nothing.

She tried again, and it snapped in her grasp. She pulled out another, then another. Cursing as each one failed. When the penultimate match finally lit, Kara whooped.

It took a few more minutes before the flames were well and truly catching and Kara got to her feet. Walking over to where the rainfall flowed steadily across the entrance to the alcove. She reaches out and collects the water in her hands, taking a drink.

Her thirst quenched for now, she rubs her hands up and down her bare arms, before warming her palms over the fire. Rinse. Repeat.

Eventually she sits again, pulling the radio from her belt.

“Is anyone listening?”

A pause.

“Please respond.” The radio crackles with an inaudible noise before fading back into more static. She stares at the radio for what felt like hours. Pleading, bargaining for someone to appear on the other end.

Eventually she sets it down beside her. Letting it crackle on, she couldn’t handle the silence.

Instead, she stared at the flames. Thunder making her cringe as it echoed around the alcove, lightning illuminating her, branches creating terrifying shadows all around. She remembered being terrified of storms as a kid, and well into her teenage years.

She swallowed thickly as she remembered Alex telling her that as long as they were together, nothing would ever hurt her.

Kara shifted slightly on her hips, pulling Lena’s camera from its case. Desperate for something, anything really that could distract her.

She pulls out the small screen from the camera, and pulls her legs up, chin settling onto her knees.

_“Here’s the soon to be world famous archaeologist Kara Danvers in her native habitat_.” The camera focuses in on Kara, head resting in one hand, seemingly trying to read three texts at once. The desk is covered in layers of papers, books, her laptop and tablet are perched precariously on either side of the desk.

Kara sees herself roll her eyes playfully, rolling her head to look at Lena, her head still resting on her hand. The camera pans to show a reflection of Lena in a mirror.

_“She’s on the hunt for the lost kingdom of Yamatai, home to the fabulous Himiko, mythical Sun Queen.”_

_“Lena, this is serious.”_

_“I know Kar. I’m just trying to lighten the mood here. Everyone’s so on edge. What’s got you so torn up?”_

Kara remembered the conversation well. It was before the argument with Mon-El in the map room.

_“I’m close to something, Lee. I’m sure of it. I just don’t know if the others will listen.”_

Kara watches as Lena rests the camera on a stack of papers, the lens focusing into the middle distance Kara in one corner. Then Lena kneels. Pulling Kara’s chin up to make eye contact with her, leaving her hand pressed against Kara’s cheek.

_“Kara Danvers, you know this stuff better than anyone.”_ Lena’s hand moved across Kara’s face and tucked some flyaway blonde hairs back behind her ear.

“ _Seriously.”_ Lena tuts when she hears Kara scoff. “ _I’m not just saying this to make you feel better Kara.”_

“ _I trust you with my life. So does Alex.”_

“ _As does J’onn, Winn. And so does Sam for that matter. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth Kara Danvers.”_

On the other side of the screen Kara felt awkward watching. Like she was watching a deeply personal moment. Only that was her, and that was Lena. And she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

_“Let’s take a break. Go and pester Winn for a bit.”_ It’s Lena who breaks the moment, getting to her feet, placing a hand on Kara’s shoulder and squeezing tightly.

_“Give me a moment and I’ll be there.”_ Kara watches the camera shake as Lena picks it up.

“ _And Lena?”_ The shaking stops. “ _Thanks.”_

“ _Always, Kar.”_

 Shots of the floor outside of their cabin follow, until Lena’s face is on the screen again.

“ _She’s not always this serious, you know. Kara was the one who taught me how to be myself. To be free and to believe in myself.”_ Lena sighed, her lip tilting slightly upwards. “ _And I’m going to help her believe in herself if it’s the last thing I do”_

Kara pauses the video. Running a finger over the small screen. She feels a tear sliding down her face. She blinks furiously. If she starts crying now, she’ll never stop.

She sits for a few more moments before continuing the video. The image cuts to Vasquez and J’onn bickering over a map stretched over the back wall. The camera shakes with silent laughter before it pans around to Kara and Mon-El.

_“How can you say I’m not serious about this expedition Kara. It’s not just Luthor’s money funding us. I’ve put my family’s savings on the line too.”_ The camera jerks as it’s settled onto a shelf in the back corner of the room, Lena’s body shifting into frame as she walked into frame to stand beside Kara, who was linking and unlinking her fingers. Muscles clenching and unclenching in a rhythmic pattern that screamed awkward tension.

_“We’ve all got some kind of stake in this, Mon-El_ ” Alex says eyeing him dangerously.

Kara touched her hip as she watched Lena shove a boney elbow in to her, remembering the flare of pain from not even a day ago.

_“That’s precisely why we should push East, not West_.” Kara watches as she straightens her back. Lena looping a finger into her belt loop.

“ _No-one believes Yamatai is that far east. The books simply don’t support it.”_ Mon-El responds, throwing his hands in the air.

_“Well whoever wrote those books, never found Yamatai_.” Lena added nonchalantly, making eye contact with Alex, who smirks.

_“I’ve spoken with J’onn about this. There’s no point in following in other people’s foot steps Mon-El.”_

“ _That’s Professor to you Danvers.”_ Mon-El practically snarled. “ _I refuse to bet my reputation on your hunch_. _I’m the lead archaeologist here.”_

“ _And when were you last in the field without a TV crew behind you._ ” Asked Vasquez, placing a pin on the map board.

“ _I’ve got more experience in my left pinky then she has in her entire body and a PHD in East Asian History. So why don’t you just stick to boats Ms. Vasquez._ ” Kara can see the moment Alex stiffens, preparing to defend her. Sam is sat beside her and places a calming hand on her elbow.

“ _Ship, Mon-El. It’s a ship._ ” Vasquez mutters.

“ _Look, going east will lead us directly into the dragon’s triangle.”_ Mon-El said after shooting a vicious look at Vasquez.

“ _That’s where we need to go.”_ Kara had said. She winced watching it back. That had been the moment. She had sealed their fate, disaster would meet them less than 24 hours after that conversation.

“ _That place makes the Bermuda Triangle look like Disney World.”_ Winn pipes up from where he’d been tapping away on his laptop. “ _Sign me up_.” He smiled at Kara, who nodded appreciatively in response.

“ _The stories about Queen Himiko said she could summon storms_.” Kara added.

“ _Myths are usually based on some version of the truth._ ” Lena said, nodding emphatically. Mon-El crosses his arms and looks to the sky.

“ _What if Yamatai was somewhere in the triangle itself_.” Kara continues.

“ _Look. This is the satellite imagery from inside the dragon’s triangle._ ” Winn spins round a laptop. The screen shows a series of colourful radar pictures. Pinks, reds and oranges fill the screen.

“ _Well. That doesn’t look good.”_ Lena whispers hesitantly.

“ _If it’s wet, I can sail on it.”_ Vasquez said, casting an eye over the radar.

“ _Oh. Don’t tell me you’re seriously considering this – “_

_“Enough!”_ J’onn yelled, breaking his silence. “ _We’re doing this. It’s now or never. Kara’s offering fresh ideas and a plan. We’ll put it to a vote.”_

“ _I’m all in.”_ Alex hadn’t hesitated, daring Mon-El to say something. Winn throws a thumbs up, and everyone else throws up an affirmative.

“ _Decision made.”_ J’onn said. “ _We’re going into the dragon’s triangle.”_

“ _Why am I even here, if you’re going to listen to this idiot of a child._ ” Alex shunts her chair back and Sam clasps her elbow tighter.

Kara shuts down the camera before she can watch Mon-El shove past her. She wipes a tear from her eye, this was all her fault.

* * *

Lena was limping through the forest, her shoulders shaking in the cold. She’d been walking for hours, having slept fitfully in an abandoned cabin through most of the storm, all she’d thought about had been Kara.

She hadn’t seen her since the map room. She had let Kara go, choosing to get more footage from the bridge then to comfort her best friend.

Lena had been on the bridge with J’onn and Vasquez when the weather really started to turn. She’d stashed her camera in her pack, choosing instead to use both hands to cling desperately to Vasquez’s chair.

When the Endurance had slammed into a huge rock that had seemingly appeared from nowhere, she had watched with horror as J’onn had slammed his hand into the alarm.

It hadn’t been long after that J’onn had bundled her into a lifeboat, all the while struggling to get back to the crews quarters, where were her friends. Where was Kara.

She watched, almost in a daze as crewmembers shoved boxes and packs into boats. She saw her pack being thrown into another boat and she lurched forwards trying to reach it. How would Kara find her without it. She needed that pack. But before she knew it her lifeboat had been deployed.

“KARA!” Lena could hear Alex screaming for her sister. Lena redoubled her escape efforts. If Kara wasn’t with Alex, then where was she. Was she still in the bunk? Was she off the boat. What if Kara’s out there tearing the ship apart looking for Lena and not getting herself to safety.

The harder she tried to get out of the boat the more someone held her down. Through bleary eyes she looked around who was on her boat. No-body she recognised. Not even Vasquez, who she’d sworn had been with J’onn as he’d dragged her across the deck.

 The journey after that had been a haze. A wave would hit, they’d all fly a metre into the air, hoping they would land back in the boat.

Lena had made a break for it as soon as the boat had landed, or rather crashed onto shore. She’d struggled up the beach, no thoughts other than finding Kara. But the storm had continued to build, and she all but collapsed in the forest when she found the cabin to shelter in. It had been the longest night of her life. She kept seeing Kara drowning alone and abandoned. Her mother’s voice had squawked at her. Offering a detailed breakdown of all the ways she’d failed her friends leading to this moment. How she was cowering inside whilst everyone may just be dying all around her.

She had continued her search as soon as she could see the trees in front of her face. Through gaps in the trees she thought she could see flames. Maybe that was them. She struggled on, slipping time and time again on the wet ground.

Lena yelped, crying out as her foot got caught in between two rocks. She struggled, trying to get free herself. Lightning was once again flashing against the sky. Behind her a twig snapped. She spun around.

 “Kara?!”

“Kara, is that you?”

The figure was silhouetted against the darkening forest.

That wasn’t Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! 
> 
> So we got some of Lena's perspective in here, and some expansion on the argument with Mon-El, and some Kara / Lena being useless gal pals. 
> 
> We'll get a proper introduction to the main antagonist in the next chapter. And I might check back in on Alex and Sam. 
> 
> Let me know what you think / if there's things you would like to see expanded on etc. etc. 
> 
> Happy continuing twentygayteen everyone - it's here to stay! (Insert rainbow)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday! 
> 
> Come nerd out on Tumblr! A-Random-Famdom.

_“This is Alex Danvers of the Endurance._ ”

Kara sits bolt upright. Tears had long since dried out and a bone deep exhaustion had settled in. The static of the radio had been a constant background noise, lulling her into a daze. Until now that is.

“ _This is Alex Danvers of the Endurance; we are shipwrecked on an island in the Devil’s Triangle._ ”

Kara fumbles for the radio, her fingers clumsily searching for the button.

“Alex?!” She shouts, praying she could hear her.

“Kara?! Kara is that you.” Kara lets out an excited yelp, wincing slightly as it reverberates around her shelter.

“You’re alive. Oh thank god you’re alive. Alex – “

“Easy, easy. Are you OK?” Alex asks, the radio distorting her voice slightly, but Kara’s never been more relieved in her life. She finds herself desperately searching for an answer to Alex’s question.

Was she ok?

“Kara? What happened?” Alex pressed. Kara could almost see her hunched over the radio.

“I’m ok. I think. Maybe – “

“Take a breath, Kar. What happened? Where are you?”

Where did she start.

_Washed up on the beach. Got slightly kidnapped by, judging from all the bodies, and shrines and general creep factor,  some weird culty person. Slightly impaled myself. Did some rock climbing. Killed –_  Kara’s thoughts ground to a halt.

She’d killed someone.

“Alex. I killed someone.” Kara’s brain seemed to finally catch up on itself.

“Oh, Kara. Are you hurt?” Alex breathed. Kara thought she could hear her voice breaking slightly.

“Where are you?” Alex asked when she couldn’t answer her. Kara looked around. How did she answer that? Where was she. She’d just walked and walked and walked.

“I don’t think I saw any road-signs Alex.”

“Alright dummy. Are you still near the beach?”

“I’m in the woods, I don’t think it’s too far from the shore. But I can’t hear the waves.”

“Are you safe?”

_Am I safe?_ Kara thought to herself. _Are any of us safe. No. No we’re not. I was kidnapped. People are dead. I killed one of them. I – I – I –_

“This is all my fault.” Kara replied. Dropping her head into her knees once again. “It’s all my fault.” She could feel herself spiralling.

“Kara, listen to me.” Alex spoke slowly, and deliberately. “J’onn sent an SOS before we abandoned the Endurance. We’re hoping someone caught it.”

“We?” Kara asked hopefully.

“I’ve spoken to J’onn, and Vasquez, they’re quite a bit further up the beach searching for survivors. They’re coming to regroup at our location. I’ve got Winn and Sam here with me.”

Kara was almost afraid to ask.

“Lena?” Kara hated how small she sounded. How quiet and afraid she was.

“I’m sorry Kara, I haven’t seen her. But I know J’onn got her off the boat.”

Kara searched desperately for some hope. They hadn’t found Lena, but that would also mean, she wasn’t among the casualties they’d found so far. She was still alive.

“Please come and get me Alex.” Kara hadn’t pressed the button. She couldn’t force Alex to choose between her and the rest of the crew. Because she knew Alex would drop everything for her.

“Where are you Kar? I’ll come to you, bring you back.” Kara almost smirked.

“I’ll find you Alex. I’ll find you. And I’ll find Lena. But you need to hold everything down there. God knows, Winn must be cursing the wildlife already.” Kara couldn’t bring herself to stop talking, or to ask for what she really wanted. Alex seemed to read between the lines.

“You can do this Kara.” Kara almost wept at the conviction in Alex’s voice.

“Remember when we climbed Kili?”

“How could I forget, Lena nearly cursed me to death that last section.” Kara laughed wetly, her nose was stuffy and her cheeks damp.

“Exactly. You spent the whole time chanting. _Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming._ ” Alex said with a slight sing-song tone to her voice.

“That’s the key, Kar. Just keep swimming. You can do this. And remember everything J’onn taught you ok?”

“Okay.” Kara said quietly, slowly piecing her courage back together again.

“You’re ready for this Kar. And keep your radio on. If you need me at any point. You yell.”

“There’s been a lot of that already ‘Lex.” Kara smiled.

“Well then yell some more.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright dummy.”

“Hey, Alex?” Kara paused. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Kar. Now get your arse over here.” Kara hooked the radio back onto her belt and struggled to her feet.  She couldn’t sit here talking to Alex all day, no matter how much she wanted to.

Kara cast a quick glance outside of the alcove, it had stopped raining, the clouds parting briefly, streams of sunlight cast an eerie light across the trees before disappearing once again.

She checks her belt, making sure both the camera case and radio are fully secured. Her hand grazes over her bloodied side. The socks she’d secured were stiff now with dried blood. She didn’t dare remove the fabric, afraid she’d disturb any clotting, at least not whilst she had nothing to replace it with.

Once she was satisfied, Kara edged her way out of the alcove. The rocks were slippy from the rain, but she carefully navigated her way down to ground level. The sponginess of earth beneath her feet a welcome change. She looked around, hoping to see something that would give her a direction. The canopy of trees above her coupled with the stormy clouds ruled out navigation by the sun. Instead she set out looking for a stream or running water of some kind.

After a considerable amount of trudging, Kara stopped for a break. Her side was aching, and she was hungry. With her back to a tree, Kara noticed a shadow swinging out of the corner of her eye. Twisting round she saw a door swinging on its hinges. She made her way over slowly to the rotting outhouse, bent low. They were not alone on this island, that much was sure, and she wasn’t walking into any more traps.

The door creaked slightly as Kara edged closer, she peered inside, craning her neck to see all four corners. She released a breath when she saw it was empty.

Inside was a hastily assembled table, unlit candles and rotting paper. Underneath the table she spied something useful. Gasping as she bent over, Kara pulled out a bow, and beneath that roughly cut quiver, partially filled with arrows.

She experimentally twanged the bow string, it was tight. She could get some good distance with this. Straightening her back she drew an arrow, squinting as she aimed at a point on the opposing wall. Finally she put the arrow into the quiver, comfortable with the weight of it in her hands. She could protect herself with this, or at least threaten someone. She slid the quiver over her shoulders and pulled the bow across her head resting bow string under her chin .

She clenched her hands around it briefly, comforted by the feel of it. Turning back to the table, Kara began sifting through the papers. She studied them carefully, the text had run, but basic illustrations looked to depict a woman standing high above a crowd.

“Himiko?” Kara breathed. She fumbled papers aside, more drawings, more unreadable text. Nothing to confirm, but Kara was almost positive. She pulled out Lena’s camera, pressing record and  zooming in on the papers, focusing the lens to get as much detail as possible for later. Under a large stack of parchment, Kara’s hands brushed against metal.

Kara pushed everything aside and smiled when she saw a crude axe. Its tip had been serrated, and it looked reasonably sharp. She looked around, hoping to see something she could use to strap this newest tool in her arsenal to her body. When she found nothing, Kara went back outside, hand outstretched, she use the serrated edge to separate a vine from a tree, and used it to attach the axe to her belt.

Kara froze as she heard a voice far in the distance. It sounded vaguely American, but not distinguishable enough to ascertain an owner. She walked closer, pulling the bow and an arrow into her hands. There was the glow of a fire ahead of her. A rocky outcrop almost created steps up to the campsite.

Step by step she edged forwards. Arms tensing as she pulled the bowstring tighter. Kara had her back against the edge of a large boulder and sprung out from behind it. Eyes darting wildly around.

“Kara!”

* * *

 “Alex?”

“Huh – “ Alex jumped, her attention had been on the radio in her hands. Kara was alive. She was alive, breathing and  -  _And thank god. She’s still alive._

“You okay? Get through to anyone else?” Alex turned to see Sam stood a few feet away, cautiously making her way towards her.

Alex realised how she must look. Slightly deranged in her relief, hunched over a radio with wide eyes.

“Kara.” Alex said. Sam’s eyes widened in panic.

“Is she ok? Has someone found her?”

“She’s alive. She was on a different frequency. She’s alive Sam. She’s alive.” Alex smiled, the first smile Sam had seen in nearly a day.

“Although I don’t know what state she’s going to be in when she gets here. She said it all so quickly, she may be injured. But Sam – “ Alex paused. “Sam, she said she’d killed someone.”

If Sam’s eyes widened any further they were in danger of falling right out of her head.

“Kara?” Sam asked. “Who? What? Why?”

“I don’t know. I need to go get her.” Alex straightened.

“Alex – “ Sam started. They needed Alex. She didn’t know what to say. They’d lost so many people, and there were still many more gravely injured. She had the most advanced medical training of them all. And if Kara had killed someone, then they almost certainly were in more danger than anyone wanted to admit.

“I know.” Alex whispered. “I know I can’t go.”

Sam stepped forwards and, on her tiptoes, pulled the taller woman into a hug. Alex slowly wrapped her arms around Sam’s shoulders and all but melted. Her limbs felt heavy and all she wanted was to stay like this. To be held and for someone to tell her everything was going to be alright.

But. Until J’onn showed up. She was in charge. These were her people. And she’d see the through this. But Kara was her person. And if she was injured and alone –

“It’s gonna be ok. We’ll be home, warm and surrounded by Chinese food in no time. I’ll have Ruby on one side, and you’ll have Kara on the other and she’ll be making gooey eyes at Lena. And it _will_ be ok.”

Sam sounded so convincing.

“Of course, it will.” Alex said, letting Sam go with a sigh.  “But I warn you. Kara hogs the TV, knows all the words to every Disney movie ever and does not do well with sharing food.”

“I’ll be sure to plan ahead.”

“Yeah, just prepare yourself for an overly dramatic rendition of _I’ll make a man out of you_.” Alex sighed with fond exasperation as they walked back to the main camp. “She’s broken at least 3 lamps and a coffee table over the years with that one song alone.”

Sam snorted as they stopped beside Winn.

“Hey guys. We’ve got 4 radios, each set to a different frequency.” Winn waved a hand over where he’d set up the radios against a rock, in probably his least sophisticated workstation of all time. “Alex, did you have any luck on channel 5?” Winn asked hopefully.

“Kara.” Alex smiled as Winn’s eyes widened comically and he pushed a fist into the air.

“That’s my girl.” He grinned. “Is she with Lena?” He asked hopefully. Alex shook her head and his shoulders deflated.

“If anyone’s going to find her it’ll be Kara.” He said hopefully, shuffling awkwardly. “Follow the trail of heart eyes and longing looks right?”

Alex smiled at that, and hooked an arm around his neck, pulling him into her side. “Exactly.”

Sam smiled softly at the pair and sat down heavily in front of the radios. She ran a finger over her bracelet. Closing her eyes and imagining Ruby running full pelt towards her, almost knocking her off her feet for a hug.

She felt hand on her shoulder. Alex squeezed gently and offered a comforting smile.

“Chinese food and Mulan, Arias.”

“It’s a date.”

* * *

 

 “Kara!”

 Kara has never been someone who’s left speechless very often. In fact, she’s always just vomited words, cringed and waited for people to shut her up.

But before her stands her best friend. Bruised and covered in mud, but Kara thinks it may be the most breath-taking thing she’s ever seen.

“Oh Kara, you’re alive.”

Kara takes two steps forwards and throws her arms around Lena. So tightly she doesn’t think either of them will breathe comfortably ever again.

“Lee.” Kara breathes into her ear. The whole world has shrunk, nothing else matters, she found her.

“You found me. I knew you’d find me.” Lena whispers back, hands clutching the back of Kara’s shirt desperately.

Kara almost forgot where they were. Why they were dirty and bloody and cold. Why Kara had a hole in her side and Lena feels like she’ll never be dry again. Until that is, someone beside her clears there throat loudly.

“Sorry to interrupt, whatever this is – “ The man waves a hand broadly over the two of them. Kara turns Lena slightly, and moves to stand in front of her, creating a shield between Lena and the man.

“Don’t’ worry Kara. This is Morgan.”

The man sets Kara’s hairs on end and she can’t work out why. His clothes are ragged, torn and repaired in a number of places. He had a red symbol drawn onto the chest of his shirt. Kara frowned at it, a spark of recognition somewhere in her mind.

“Kara.” Lena said behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Sit down, c’mon.” Lena eased Kara down towards a low boulder.

Kara couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man. Her gut churned uneasily. But the fire was warm, and Lena was beside her.

“Lena here was just telling me how she came to be here. You feature, quite heavily.”

Kara just nodded, the tension starting to seep from her shoulders under Lena’s hands.

“Are you ok?” Kara asked her quietly.

“I’m ok, Kara. Twisted my ankle on some rocks, but nothing I haven’t done in a pair of horror heels.” Kara looked down at her ankle, resting a hand on her leg.

“I’m so glad you’re ok.”  She squeezes her thigh gently.

“You know how it is. It’s impossible to bring a Luthor down.” Lena said, nudging Kara’s shoulder. She saw Morgan sit straighter out of the corner of her eye, but before she could consider it, she saw Kara grimace.

“Are you?” Lena asked hesitantly, casting her eyes over Kara. She noted the dried blood, the fabric tied around her waist and how sunken Kara’s eyes looked.

“Hmm?” Kara asked, unable to bring raise her head.  “Oh, I’m fine.” Kara brought a smile to her face. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her seemed to have chosen now to abandon its host.

“You look like you could use some medical help.” Kara’s eyes snapped up to Morgan.

“I’m fine thank-you. I’m just going to sit here for a bit.” She said abruptly. “Then we’ll go find Alex.” Kara nodded to herself. Lena could see Kara building her walls up. She never did well with strangers. But Morgan had helped her get warm, checked her ankle and had generally kept her mind occupied for the past hour or so. Lena might not have trusted him per-say, but he hadn’t done anything to earn any animosity.

“Keep going Lena, I wanna know what happened to you.” Kara said stifling a yawn.

Kara tried. She really did. She tried to stay awake. But she was tired, in pain and Lena was warm. Lena’s voice began, tone rising and falling as she told her story, more to her than to Morgan. She ran her finger’s gently through Kara’s matted hair, separating the strands gently.

Eventually, Kara felt herself drifting into a fitful sleep. Images flashed through her mind, the cave, the beach. That red symbol cutting across them all.

That symbol. It had been in the cave. Drawn across the shrines, and on the wall of the cabin. IT had been so inconsequential. She hadn’t evemnoticed.

Kara shuddered back into consciousness with a gasp and thrashing limbs.

It was dark. And cold. And silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we got a reunion! 
> 
> And some AgentReign!
> 
> This is where we start to diverge from the game a bit, I'll be cutting bits out, repurposing some characters, and as always adding bits in. I'll be small changes to start - and then ripple effect. 
> 
> Hoping to update Saturdays or Sundays going forwads. 
> 
> As always thanks to everyone who's commented and left Kudos!
> 
> Have a good weekend folks. :)


	6. Chapter 6

“Lena!” Kara screamed into the night.

“Morgan!”

Kara stumbled to her feet.

“Lena!” Kara looked frantically around.

“LENA!” She doubled over as she screamed, not letting up until she had no breath left.

Kara bends to touch the ashes where the fire used to be. They were barely warm. She must have been out longer than she thought. 

“Shit.” She straightens and slides her way out of the camp. She slips down the rocky stairs and into a clearing.

Kara feels the earth shift beneath her foot and the clank of metal moments before the pain in her ankle overwhelms her. The trap clasps around her ankle tightly.  She yells loudly and falls to the ground.

Her fingers grasp the two pieces of metal that have trapped her foot. It resembled a bear trap, only there were no spikes, for that she was immensely grateful. Kara grits her teeth and pulls as hard as she can. The tendons in her neck pulled taut as she yelled.

When there was no progress, she stops struggling, her chest having as she tries to gulp in air.

“No.” She slams a fist into the ground beside her. “

"No. No. No."

“Alex.” She yells, hand flying to her for the radio. It was gone.

Kara fumbles around her ankle, eyes straining to see the trap itself, hoping to find some kind of release mechanism

A wolf howls in the night. Kara can feel the blood draining from her face. She freezes, before slowly pulling her bow over her head, struggling to draw an arrow. She holds the bow to the side and scans the landscape in front of her. She’s surrounded by long grass on three sides, the wind is rustling it gently.

Her breaths come fast and short as she keeps the bow string pulled taut. She can wood and twigs cracking on her right. Suddenly the grass parts and a wolf runs forwards, snarling at its prey. Time seems to slow as it’s jaw opens wider and wider. Kara holds her breath and lets the arrow fly.

She almost couldn’t bring herself to watch. The arrow pierced the wolf through the roof of its open mouth. She watched as it fell to the ground, rolling limply to the side. Kara strains her ears to listen for more of the pack.

Once again Kara draws an arrow. More rustling to the left, alerts Kara seconds before another wolf jumps towards her. She struggles to aim, her hands shaking, the arrow catches it in the chest, it falls to the side whining pitifully.

She jumps and lets an arrow fly to where there was more twigs cracking. It went wide, splintering against a tree.

“Frack!” Kara gasps.

“Winn?”

“Over here!” Winn stumbles towards her. “I found Kara.” Barely a second passed before Alex burst out of the forest behind him and sprints to where she is. She drops to her knees beside Kara.

“Kara.” Alex casts her hands over Kara, not quite touching her. Her sister was a mess. She couldn’t tell what colour her hair was, blood and dirt and god knows what else had melded together to create a look even Alex winced at.

Kara looked up at her sister, almost crying with relief.

“Alex. Alex. Alex” She whispered, almost unbelieving. If this was another hallucination, she swore to Rao –

“Sam, give me a hand over here.” Alex yelled, voice straining as he struggled to pull apart the trap that Kara’s leg was caught in.

Kara put her bow down and joined in the effort, there was some give. Sam joins on Alex’s other side and Winn hovers nervously beside them, trying to find a space for him to help. With a yell, the trap parts enough for Kara to pull her leg free before it clanks back together again.

Kara cries with relief. Winn holds his hands out for her, Kara took them gratefully and allows Winn to pull her to her feet. She yelps slightly as she puts her weight on her foot for the first time. She tries again and pain isn’t as sharp. Nothing broken, she concluded, just another bruise to ad to the pile.

“It’s good to see you Kara.” Winn offered with a smile, and hugged her close

“I’m so glad you guys are here.” Kara says as Winn steps aside, and Alex fills the space before Kara can even blink. Kara throws her arms around her sister, and melts into the embrace.

“Is Lena with you?” Kara asks, straining to see beyond the three people before her. She sees someone lurking in the shadows. Surely that can’t be Lena.

“She said she was with you?” Sam frowned. “She radioed in. Saying that you were with her and that she’d found someone who already had a camp set up inland.”

 Kara felt her heart sink.

“That’s why we’re here, Reynolds is manning the camp back on the beach. There’s only 10 of them, and half of those are injured.” Sam looked downwards. “We’re scouting ahead.”

 “She was here.” Kara said frantically. “She was here with that man, Morgan.”

 Kara looked frantically around. “But I passed out, and when I woke up they were both gone. We need to find them.”

 “W-what about J’onn?” The shadowed figure stepped forwards. Kara’s eyes almost rolled out of her head, of course it was Mon-El. “We need to get him.”

 “We have to split up then. We can’t do both.” Kara whispered to Alex. Kara had found Lena, she’d found her and then she’d lost her. Again. Lena deserved better than Kara’s failures.

 “Alex. Alex. I need you to find Lena.” Alex looked taken aback by the panic she could see in her sister’s eyes. “I need you to do this Alex. I’ve already let her down. I know you won’t. Please Alex.”

Kara swayed dangerously on her feet. Alex and Winn both stepped forwards to hold her elbows and lower her to the ground.

“Kar. What happened to you?” Alex whispered, running hands down her side. Kara cried out when she brushed against the makeshift bandage. The pain seeming to bring Kara out of the panicked trance she’d worked herself up into.

“Oh. Um. I kind of got myself slightly impaled.” She grimaced.

“Kara! You lead with that information.” Alex’s eyes were wide with concern. Who, what, when, how. There were too many questions, and she didn’t feel like she’d get a straight answer anytime soon.

“Winn, backpack. Now.” Alex waved her hand impatiently behind her, keeping her eyes on Kara.

Winn pulled a battered looking backpack off his shoulders and placed it into Alex’s outstretched hand.

Alex went to remove the makeshift bandage Kara had wrapped around her waist. Kara stiffened, hands grasping Alex’s wrists.

“I’m just gonna take this off now Kara. We’ve got a first aid kit, some bandages. I’ll take a look okay. Just take some deep breaths.”

Kara pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and just nodded, her whole body shook with tension.

Alex slowly started to unravel the fabric and peeled one of the sodden socks away. 

Kara yelped and tried to shuffle backwards.

“Easy, Kar, easy.” Alex grimaced in sympathy, rolling up Kara’s tank tops. The wound was about an inch in diameter, the edge jagged and torn open slightly wider on either side. She was relieved to see the bleeding had stopped but the whole area was red and inflamed.

Kara tensed when Alex pressed against the surrounding tissue. “Shit. Alex –“

“Sorry. Sorry. I’m going to put some cream on it. We don’t have any water to clean it, but this should do something. Then we’re going to wrap it up properly.” Alex pulls a tube out of the backpack with a frown.

She needed to clean this properly, but she had none of the necessary equipment, just a half empty tube of antiseptic cream and some clean bandages. Hopefully rescue would come soon. Gently she uses some bandage to dab the cream onto both wounds.

“That looks like it hurts” Winn states from over Alex’s shoulder.

“Tis but a scratch.” Kara gives him a half-hearted smile.

“Anything else I need to look at?” Alex asks.

“Nope. All good” Kara says, not quite able to make eye contact.

“ _Kara_.” Alex says warningly.

“I was knocked out, but apart from a slight headache, I don’t really have any serious symptoms of a bad concussion.” Kara responds.

“Oh. And I could use a plaster.” She holds out her hand, the jagged cut ran across most of her palm. Alex tutted.

“You could use a tetanus shot and some sense.” 

Kara sat still, twitching slightly as Alex addressed more of the cuts and grazes she’d picked up in the past 24 hours. Alex kept glancing up at Kara, who was glaring intensely at a point somewhere over Alex’s shoulder.

“Found the radio.” Sam came stumbling down the hill. Kara hadn’t even realised she was missing. It must’ve been Kara’s radio that Lena had used to get in contact with the others, but that meant that they had no way of getting in contact with her.

“Alex. I need you to find Lena. Don’t’ worry about me.” Kara looked Alex straight in the eye.

“I’m not leaving you again Kara. Look at you.”

“I’m fine, Alex.”

Alex rolled her eyes and fixed her with a hard look.

“Okay. I will be fine. Eventually.” Kara stares her sister out for a moment longer before leaning forwards to rest her head on Alex’s collarbone.

“Alex.” Kara says seriously. “There’s a cult or something on this island.” Alex’s brow furrowed.

“I was strung up like a human sacrifice. Whoever has Lena, whoever this Morgan person is, they’re part of it.”

Kara watched her sisters eyes widen.

“What – “

“There’s this symbol everywhere.” Kara uses her finger to draw it into the mud beside them. Alex squints, but she can’t make it out in the low light.

“Have you not seen it?”

Alex shakes her head. “No, we came straight from the beach. We didn’t see anyone until you nearly took Winn’s head off with an arrow.”

“You have to believe me Alex. They’re out there. And they’ve got Lena.” Kara paused for a deep breath.

“We both know the two of us are the best chances she has. You more than me, you with your badass army – “ Kara waved her newly bandaged hand around searching for the right word. “-Ness.”

Alex nodded.

“And me with J’onn’s whole, I’m going to teach you all these useless skills and stuff when I started getting vaguely rebellious.” Kara smiled slightly. “Because _It’s what your parents would have wanted_.”

“We can’t operate a proper search and rescue and stay together at the same time.”

Alex sighed. She knew Kara was right. They were the natural team leaders here. Sam god bless her, was a television producer, and whilst she’d gone through all the necessary training for the expedition, she was still massively inexperienced. Winn, was the guy in the chair. And Mon-El –

“I’ll go with her.” Kara startled, almost forgetting Winn nearby. “I’ll go with you.”

“No. No. Let me.” Mon-El stepped forwards. Kara watched as Sam stiffened from where she was perched.

Alex’s eyebrows shot upwards.

“I’ve taken self-defence classes.” Mon-El said, looking affronted by Alex’s reaction.

“Mr Schott and Mr Arias need more protection than I do. I can help Miss Danvers.”

Kara frowned, what on earth was his game here.

Alex sighed again, she knew it was more logical. She couldn’t let Winn go with Kara, she was injured and Winn was the mostly likely out of all of them to get killed or injured. No. She would be keeping him close by.

Instead of arguing, Alex stood, pulling herself up to her full height and stalked over towards him finger outstretched.

“If anything. And I mean anything happens to my little sister, whatever is out there – “ She waved a hand towards the darkened forest. “Will be the least of your fucking worries.”

Mon-El took a step back and nodded sharply.

“We’ll get Lena back.” Sam put a hand on Kara’s shoulder. “I promise.”

Kara nodded her thanks. The sincerity in her voice, put a lump in Kara’s throat and she wasn’t sure she could hold it together if she spoke.

Alex turned back to where Kara sat, and pulled her to her feet.

“We’ve got this right?” Kara said, her voice wobbling slightly. “We’re going to get J’onn. Find Lena. And it’ll be OK.”

Alex nodded, cupping Kara’s face in her hands. “You’ve got this sis.” Alex stepped back, and Sam put a hand on shoulder.

Kara was almost knocked off her feet by Winn who had flung his arms around her shoulders.

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” He said into her shoulder.

“And I can’t believe you’re out here communing with nature.” Kara grinned back at him.

“Yeah, well. I’ve heard some vitamin D is good for the soul. I’ll let you know when I’ve had my fill.” He rubs a hand over the back of his neck.

Kara smiled warmly. “Let’s get going. Sam do you mind?” Kara held out her hand for the radio. Sam handed it over with a nod.

“We’ll take the West, you take the East?” Alex asked. Kara just nodded, using her bow to take some of the pressure of her ankle. The throbbing wasn’t too bad, and she was hoping she could walk it off.

“Sure.” Kara nodded.

“First one to find Lena gets the last potsticker.” Alex grinned, desperate to leave her sister on a happier note.

“The last potsticker is always mine.” Scoffed Kara, nudging Alex with her shoulder.

“ _And so is Lena_.” Alex muttered under her breath, beside her Sam coughed loudly, her hand hiding a face splitting grin.

“What was that?” Kara asked, her stomach fluttered briefly at what she thought Alex had said.”

“Nothing. Nothing. Now – “ Alex paused, hands on Kara’s shoulders. “Are you sure you’re ok to do this? There’s no shame in taking 5.”

“I’m fine Alex. And sitting around in the rain is Kara circa 2005.”  

“Okay. Okay. Remember what I said before. Keep your radio on and your eyes open. If you need me at any point. Call for me, and I’ll be there. OK.” Kara nodded, eyes watering slightly.

Alex nodded with finality and Kara watched as she led the three of them off into the darkness.

Kara looked at where Mon-El stood, leaning against a tree, watching her carefully.

“Shall we Miss Danvers."

He straightened, and walked in the opposite direction that Alex had left in. Kara hobbled slightly behind him. Her ankle stiff and sore.

It was a few minutes later when Mon El stopped dead. “Can’t you go any faster?”

“I’m trying. Just give me some time.” Kara grimaced, just short of rolling her eyes.

“I’m going to go scout ahead. You can catch me up.” He disappeared off into the darkness before Kara could speak up.

“I wish I could toss him into space.” Kara muttered to herself.

“They’re coming for you Lena. Hang tight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter this week, but some Danver's sisters, and getting all the ducks in a road for a few chapters time. 
> 
> I'm going to do Lena's perspective next time. And then we'll get back to J'onn and finding out just what Morgan Edge's game is... because it's not quite what you think. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's commented and kudos'd! It makes my day!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Your validation feeds my soul!  
> ___________________________________________  
> Come freak out with me: a-random-fandom.
> 
> Much gay as fuck nerding to be found there.
> 
> (If anyone has any prompts or other AU's lemme know!)


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